THE first race for four oars, distance two miles, was called at a little after half past four.

Holworthy and Weld were the favorites, and appeared very well on their trial spins before the race.

The start was pretty fair, and none tried too hard for the lead. Matthews rolled badly, and showed neither uniformity nor individual good rowing. None of the crews "sat" their boat well, but there was some very clean and precise rowing, for second crews, in the other three boats. The steering of the Holworthy and Weld coxswains was remarkably good, up the course especially, both crews leaving a perfectly straight path behind them, while the wakes of Matthews, and more particularly of Holyoke, showed by their many crooks the excitement and want of practice of the hands that held the tiller-ropes.

The race was well contested between the two first crews; Holworthy pluckily pressing Weld till the very finish, and crossing the line two lengths behind, while she was followed by Holyoke seven and one-half lengths astern, and Matthews, loath to leave the field, gallantly closed up the rear, forty-five seconds behind Holyoke.

Names and time of crews as follows:-

WELD. HOLWORTHY.

F. T. Brown, '77 (st.). W. G. McMillan, L. S. (st.).

F. A. Bates, '77 (2). H. H. Brown, '76 (2).

L. N. Littauer, '78 (3). H. Upham, '77 (3).

P. W. Page, '77 (bow). J. T. Linzee, '77 (bow).

G. B. Ogden, '77 (cox.). Paul Butler, '75 (cox.).

Time, 15 m. 59 1/2 sec. Time, 16 m. 8 3/4 sec.

MATTHEWS. HOLYOKE.

E. Roberts, L. S. (st.). E. P. Harrison, '76 (st.).

A. S. Flint, '75 (2). G. S. Raymer, '78 (2).

B. J. Legate, '77 (3). H. S. Mudge, Med. S. (3).

J. Q. A. Brett, '77 (bow). C. Isham, '76 (bow).

S. E. Jennison, '77 (cox). T. H. Morris, Med. S. (cox).

Time, 17 m. 24 sec. Time, 16 m. 39 1/2 sec.

The rowing was, or the whole, a great improvement on that of previous second crews, showing more skill and practice together. The Weld Four "caught" very well together on the beginning, but did not row the stroke well through. Almost every one on the second crews feathered under water, and some went so far as to sliver the stroke. The feather, though itself not giving speed to the boat, is yet one of the most important parts of the stroke; for not only is a bad feather likely to retard the boat and waste strength by catching the oar in the water and making the boat roll, but it positively prevents the proper shoot out of the hands on the beginning of the recover, and causes a pause followed by an uneven, bucketing rush, instead of a steady swing forward, which alone can insure perfect uniformity of time and prepare for a dashing stroke.